An enjoyable and productive weekend working on the A2

D

Darren C

Admin Team
A busy weekend has seen me complete the refit and replacement of my reversing sensors. A bumper off job. I took the opportunity to undertake a repair of the bumper mounting points by plastic welding; perfected that and back to full strength.

All in all a throughly enjoyable time fettling and learning more about the engineering excellence of the A2. What a fabulous and well built car it is - no wonder we all love them so much.

A few pictures of the journey - including one of the conservatory - the love of a good woman; thanks Di.

Wheel arch liners removed
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When you need a second pair of hands and there are none available - improvisation is called for...
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The dreaded vents which result in water ingress when they fail - fortunately mine are new and sealed after said problem
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Mounting brackets for holding the edge of the bumper in place
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Protection applied ahead of the nights rain to safeguard the sensors electrics and the vents - just in case
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A tolerant and patient Di... Some other jobs going on too
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And all back together with working reversing sensors
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Cracking work Darren, looks awesome all put back together, one thing puzzled me, the shine is so good thought you’d added a VW badge above the fsi lol
Cheers Jeff
 
Thanks for all the positive comments and feedback guys; most appreciated. A very rewarding exercise, made all the better by the fact that it is all back together better than ever thanks to the plastic welding. Cheers.
 
I can’t believe how different the car looks with the bumper off - totally changes the shape... and then Wow! What a finish! Looks ace! Ps. Is that an Audi sensor kit or is it aftermarket? I’m chronic for knowing how close I am to things and leave whole inches to spare for fear of a prang! Maybe a review?


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Pinkythelabrat said:
I can’t believe how different the car looks with the bumper off - totally changes the shape... and then Wow! What a finish! Looks ace! Ps. Is that an Audi sensor kit or is it aftermarket? I’m chronic for knowing how close I am to things and leave whole inches to spare for fear of a prang! Maybe a review?
Click to expand...

Hi Pinky,

Thanks for your kind comments. The kit is Cobra/Vodafone collaborative affair - link below. They can be calibrated for volume, height of the sensors and distance - very tuneable and straightforward. Range is good and the volume, 3 stage, is adaptable for all tastes.

If getting them painted, tip is to let them colour coded during the purchase. I had the bumper painted after fitting due to paint splitting when the holes were drilled, the paint stopped my original set from working, and so I ordered a new set and replaced them myself.

Cheers,

Darren

http://cobracartech.co.uk/en/rear-parking-sensors/861-cobra-rear-parkmaster-r0394-4-parking-sensors-flush-mount.htm
 
spike said:
The plastic welding sounds interesting. Any tips

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Hi Spike, good to hear from you. Hope you and your good lady are keeping well.

The first tip I have is that you don't need a specialist kit. I used a soldering iron and cable ties formed the new plastic to shape and bond. I took my time using multiple small applications of the cable ties and smoothed off the excess with the soldering iron alone.

I didn't take many pictures sadly, many of the mounting points were bent back and so fragile they were hanging off. One of the least damaged below, I did however take a few. Picture one shows the split and two and three the repair. Aesthetics don't matter in this case - functionality over polish. Cheers.

Damaged torn mounting point at the top and barely holding at the bottom
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Repaired
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Thanks Darren

That's neat, using cable ties as the filler rod.
There are lots of quite cheap plastic welding kits on ebay so I was interested to know if you had used one rather than a soldering iron.

Cheers Spike
 
Thanks Spike. If you ever do purchase a kit, I'd be interested to learn how they perform. This was my first attempt using basic kit, but I'm pleased with the results, cosmetics aside. The cable ties worked exceptionally well - narrow enough to work in compact areas and just the job as a substitute filler.
 
Like the pictures, I am considering getting sensors for Albus as Dawn works in the community and has to park in some very tight places.
 
Many thanks. The A2 isn't overly complex to park, but sensors do provide extra peace of mind. Lots of fitting services offered out there too if DIY isn't for you. Cheers.
 
Darren C said:
Thanks Spike. If you ever do purchase a kit, I'd be interested to learn how they perform. This was my first attempt using basic kit, but I'm pleased with the results, cosmetics aside. The cable ties worked exceptionally well - narrow enough to work in compact areas and just the job as a substitute filler.
Click to expand...

Hi Darren

Found the youtube clip that had stuck in my mind and realised it's more about using ultra thin stainless reinforcing mesh than the actual heat source. The mesh and multi purpose filler rods (could be handy for tricky plastics) are available on ebay - just search for FibreFlex plastic welding.
Looks like a soldering iron remains the weapon of choice unless you are doing repairs on a regular basis

Cheers Spike
 
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